As a dairy farmer, you have a powerful story. We want to help You share it. Do these statements make you cringe? We want to help you build consumer confidence by developing your core story and initiating influential conversation to increase understanding and, in turn, support for the dairy industry. To attend or host a Driving Dairy Discussions training, please contact Amy Yeiser Leslie at [email protected]. “ I can only drink almond milk because it has less ingredients and more protein than regular milk. ” “ I won’t eat anything with dairy because it has hormones and all of the cows eat GMOs! ” Driving Dairy Discussions participant and Speakers Bureau member Jessica Peters tells her dairy story to a group of students at a local middle school Driving Dairy Discussions trainings cover: • Being consumer focused; Start with your WHY • Developing your “Core Story” for consumers • Best practices for answering difficult questions • Technical information and resources • Practice consumer interactions Speakers Bureau member Raechel Sattazahn explains how to feed a calf to local students on a farm tour Get Involved Today! contact Amy Yeiser Leslie at: [email protected] Dairy farmers are the most credible source to speak about on-farm practices on behalf of the dairy industry — whether it’s an over-the-fence conversation with your neighbor, speaking at a town hall meeting, or engaging with consumers via social media. Consumer research shows that nearly 50 percent of adults would ask a dairy farmer about their farming practices, if given the opportunity.* Are you prepared to answer their questions? American Dairy Association North East, your local checkoff organization, offers resources to help you Tell Your Story in the way that works best for you. The speakers bureau provides training and resources for farmers to give presentations about dairy farming to local civic organizations, such as Lions Clubs, moms groups or culinary classes in your local community. The program includes the services of a scheduler to handle the logistics of scheduling the speaking engagements so you can do what you do best — share the dairy farming story with leaders and influencers in the community. Speakers Bureau members: • Connect with and influence local community leaders and organizations • Receive regular updates with resources to better connect with consumers • Receive reimbursement for time away from the farm • Take training and put it into action! *Dairy Management, Inc., 2014